Unfortunate Circumstances
by irishwerewolves
Summary: This is Esme's story, written in different points of view throughout. Rated K for now, but may move to T later on. No romance to start off with, but please bear with me; I'll add some in later on. Please read, and reviews would be nice.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, nor claim to own Twilight or any of its characters. I am not making any profit out of writing this._

**Unfortunate Circumstances**

_Esme's POV_

I'd just lost my baby, my life. I guess it just wasn't meant to be, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. He was barely three days old, so young and helpless. He was the prime reason of my existence; I wasn't going to try and live without him. I just couldn't.

"Esme, it wasn't your fault. It was inevitable. He was going to die anyway." A woman's voice distracted me. I looked up and saw my sister, Eve, standing nearby, her hand on my shoulder. The pain of my son's death tore my heart into pieces, and the tears were cascading down my face as though there was no tomorrow.

That was it! There wouldn't be a tomorrow! I would end my suffering and be with my baby boy forever!

But to get away from Eve. That would be the hard part. I knew she didn't deserve to experience my death like I had to experience my son's, but there was nothing else I could think of.

What else was there to do to end my suffering? I certainly couldn't think of anything. Eve was just so kind, to hurt her was just unimaginable. But this was how it was meant to be. I shouldn't be alive while my son lies in his grave.

"Esme? Can you hear what I'm saying?" Eve's soft voice sounded so far away, but I responded anyway.

"Sorry Eve, what were you saying?" I asked her, reluctantly moving my mind from my dead son.

"Esme, I know you're upset, but you have to let go. I know it's going to be hard, but life must go on." She said softly and I sighed.

"Excuse me Eve; I need to go for a walk. Alone, if you don't mind." I said and she nodded sympathetically.

"Alright. I'll see you when you get back." She said and I stood up, walking out of the house and into the bright daylight outside. I looked at the clock in the town square. It was just before 4pm. I sighed. My son had passed away just over an hour ago. I walked out of the town, into the forest and towards a cliff extending out over the sea. But when I looked down over the cliff, I saw the tide was low, and the jagged rocks at the bottom were easily visible.

_Perfect. I'm sorry I had to put you through this Eve. Please forgive me._ I thought to myself, taking a deep breath and taking a large step off the edge of the cliff. I closed my eyes as I fell through the air, before I hit the bottom.

The first thing I noticed was what felt like every bone in my body being shattered, before the pain came. I wanted to scream with the pain, but I couldn't find my voice. I could feel myself begin to detach from my own body as my heart slowed. I couldn't even open my eyes.

_This can't be death. Death is supposed to be painless and peaceful. There's too much pain for this to be what death is like._ I thought, just as I heard voices. My broken and twisted body had been found and I knew I would be taken to hospital.

"What's she doing here?" I heard a distant male voice say. "Do you think she jumped?" he asked one of his companions.

"I don't know. There's a pulse; she's still alive, but it appears there's nothing we can do for her. We'd better get her to the hospital, in any case. If nothing else, Dr. Cullen will know what to do. He's the best doctor the hospital's ever had. He'll know what to do." A second man said and I felt myself being lifted into someone's warm arms. But as they lifted me, pain seared through my entire body at an incredible rate.

"Careful, it looks like there's a few broken bones." The first man said as I was carried gently to the nearby beach, before I felt myself being loaded into a car.


	2. Carlisle

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Twilight or any recognizable characters. I am not making any profit out of writing this._

_Carlisle's POV_

I had just finished my shift at the hospital, and I was preparing to go home, when I heard voices outside the hospital. I used my vampire hearing to listen to what they were saying.

"…looks like she jumped off the cliff." One person was saying.

"Is she still alive?" another human asked the first.

"Barely. It looks like there's no way that she can be revived. It's too late for her. We'd best just take her straight to the morgue." The first replied and I held my breath in shock. A human woman had jumped from a cliff and is barely alive. I decided to investigate. I waited until the humans had left for the morgue before I followed stealthily. I stood behind a tree until I saw the humans leave, looking grave as they walked away. I quickly ran towards the entrance of the morgue, walking inside.

The first thing I could smell was blood. And lots of it. Then I heard the faint heartbeat. I followed the sound and saw what would've been quite a beautiful woman, save for all the blood caked to her face, lying there, cuts covering every inch of her body, and blood still spewing from the cuts, while it was obvious that every bone in her body was broken, by the way she was twisted, even when laid out straight. Her chest was barely rising and falling with every breath, and I could hear her heart slowing by the second. Eventually she would die.

I looked carefully at her heart-shaped face and caramel hair and suddenly I couldn't think of anything other than to save her.

But the humans were right; there was nothing that could be done for her. Nothing except to…no, I couldn't finish that thought. I'd already turned one person into a vampire, and to do this to someone like this was almost unthinkable.

As I hesitated, the strange attraction that I felt towards this woman strengthened, while her heart did the exact opposite.

Suddenly I was decided. I had to turn her. There was no other way around it. I sighed, whispered in her ear "sorry" and bit her throat. I felt her delicate skin tear underneath my teeth and her warm blood spill into my mouth. I was tempted to drain her of every last drop of this life-giving liquid, but I had to remain in control.

Eventually I took my mouth from her throat and lifted her into my arms. I heard her heart speed up as my venom reached it, and knew it was time to go home.

With this woman in my arms I ran home at inhuman speed, arriving at the house within minutes. I walked into the living room and lay the woman on the couch, tending to her various injuries.


	3. Esme

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own or claim to own Twilight or any recognizable characters. No profit is being made out of writing this story._

_Esme's POV_

I woke after what felt like an eternity, and I was surprised to see that my vision was a hundred times clearer than it ever was. I looked around to see that I was in someone's living room, and then I saw whose living room it was. As I looked around, I saw a man sitting on a fold-out chair next to the sofa I was lying on. The first thing I noticed about him was his skin and his eyes. His skin was pale white, and his eyes were a honey-golden color, which was almost completely unnatural to any other person that I'd ever met. But at the same time he was probably the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Apart from the golden eyes and pale skin, he had blonde hair and a slim figure. He smiled a rather appealing smile as I sat up a small amount, leaning forward slightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked me and I nodded slowly – an automatic reaction. I was surprised that my heart didn't race as it should've been. I was nervous and a bit embarrassed that this _very_ attractive man was talking to me. He seemed to have noticed and possibly misread my puzzled expression. "My name is Carlisle Cullen." He smiled.

"Esme." I mumbled automatically and he nodded once, still smiling that appealing smile.

"I'm assuming you have a few questions for me, Esme?" Carlisle Cullen asked me softly.

I was still confused about why my heart still wasn't racing. Normally at this point, I'd be hyperventilating with my heart trying to leap out through my throat, but for some reason, it wasn't. Intrigued, I placed my hand on my chest, where my heart would be, hoping to feel a beat. Nothing. My eyes widened in shock.

Looking at Carlisle, he was still smiling, but the smile had lessened slightly.

"My – my heart's not beating! How is this possible?" I asked him, hoping he would have an answer. Sighing, he stood up, picking up a small mirror from the small table near the sofa and handing it to me.

"Look at your eyes in that. Just be warned: you will be shocked." He said and I took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. What I saw would've made me faint in surprise and shock, but for some reason I didn't. I didn't even feel light-headed. This was getting stranger and stranger.

"My eyes are red? What's going on?" I asked him, hoping he would have an answer that made sense. None of this so far was making any sense to me at all. Carlisle smiled as he sat back down.

"Esme, you probably won't believe me, but you are a vampire. That's why your heart isn't beating and your eyes are red. If you look at your skin, you'll probably notice that you're paler than normal." He explained and I was frozen to the spot. Then I noticed the dry fiery ache in my throat.

"My throat hurts." I said and he nodded.

"You're thirsty. I'd probably better take you hunting." He said and I looked at him, even more confused than ever before.

"But if I'm a vampire, why don't I want to kill you for your blood?" I asked him. He chuckled softly.

"Because I don't have any blood. I'm a vampire too, Esme." He said.

_He's insane. Where's the phone? I'd better get him to an insane asylum…but what if __what he's saying is true? I don't have a heartbeat, and my eyes are bright red, so unless I'm dreaming, his explanation seems to be the only logical one._ I thought when I heard a laugh from behind me. I jumped, looking around me. In the doorway to the living room stood another young man with golden-colored eyes and pale skin, but he had reddish-brown hair and he was wearing a crooked smile on his face.

"Believe me, you're not dreaming." He said, still smiling that crooked smile. I was stunned, and I looked back at Carlisle for an explanation. Carlisle was looking sternly at the boy.

"Edward, stop reading her thoughts. You know better than that." He said sternly, as though he were the boy's father; though he looked too young for that. Carlisle looked no older than about twenty-five, and the boy looked about seventeen. The boy laughed as he retreated. "That was Edward. He has the ability to read people's minds." Carlisle explained, noticing my confused expression.

"Is – is he a…vampire…as well?" I asked nervously.

"Yes. He is a vampire." He replied. "But we'd better take you hunting, in any case. Just, before we go, I need you to remember one thing." He said.

"What's that?" I asked him.

"I need you to remember not to attack any humans that might be nearby. Edward and I only feed on animals, and I'd suggest you do the same." He said and I nodded slowly.

_Vampires can live off animal blood? I thought they could only have human blood._ I thought, confused. Again, Carlisle noticed.

"Any more questions?" he asked me, the hint of a smile still there.

"Not really. I just didn't know that vampires could live off the blood of animals." I said and Carlisle's smile grew.

"They can. I'll tell you my story when we get back from the hunt." He said and I nodded slowly, standing up and following him out of the house and into the forest which surrounded it. "And with hunting, follow your instincts. Let the 'animal' nature take over completely when you hunt. It's easier than it sounds." He added as he led me deep into the forest. I realized I could hear hearts beating, and I was surprised and confused.

"Vampires can hear hearts beating?" I asked him.

"Yes. Vampires are also able to outrun every living thing on the face of this planet; and fight off anything. We can only be killed by being torn into hundreds of pieces and thrown into a fire." He explained and I nodded, bemused and trying to sort through everything he'd said to me. "Are you alright? You look a bit confused." He asked me and I nodded as I finally managed to sort through it. We ran into the distance. I looked around and noticed that we were very deep in the forest; the trees were denser than ever here and light barely managed to seep through the leaves, creating a patch of the forest that was darker than the rest. Here, a human wouldn't have been able to tell whether it was day or night.

"Where are we, Carlisle?" I asked Carlisle cautiously.

"About three miles north of the house. There are plenty of animals further up. I'll let you hunt on your own, because there are no humans nearby." He replied and I nodded, sniffing the air. I caught the scent of an animal and, letting my instincts take over, I ran into the trees, catching a deer and taking it down, biting into the soft flesh of its throat.

Once it was dead, I stood up as Carlisle ran towards me.

"Are you done?" he asked me and I nodded. "Alright. Well, I guess we'd better get back to the house before any humans _do_ catch up to us." He said and I nodded as we ran back towards the house.

Entering the house, Carlisle and I walked back into the living room, both of us sitting on the sofa.

"Before I tell you my story Esme, I would like to ask you a couple of questions." He said sincerely.

"Go ahead. Ask away." I said and he hesitated for a moment.

"Esme, I'm not sure how well you remember your life before becoming a vampire, because, believe me, it's always fuzzy unless you actually concentrate on remembering it. But I was working at the hospital that you were taken to, before they took you to the morgue where I found you. And I overheard the men that brought you to the hospital – and essentially to me – saying that you were found at the bottom of a cliff. They said you jumped. Is this true?" he asked me softly and I thought hard to remember. The memories were beginning to come back to me, and I was becoming overwhelmed.

_My baby, my son, just passed away and my sister, Eve, trying to comfort me; I jumped off a cliff to join my son and failed._

"Esme? Esme, are you alright?" I heard Carlisle's concerned voice and I looked at him and nodded. I realized he had his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm okay. Yes, I jumped from the cliff." I replied. He looked concerned.

"Do you remember why? You don't have to tell me if that's not what you want, but if you do, I will listen." He said softly.

"It's painful to remember it. I jumped because I'd lost my baby when he was only a few days old. He was my whole reason for living, and I felt I couldn't live without him." I explained softly, surprised when tears didn't spill from my eyes. I gave a dry sob and Carlisle tightened his grip on my shoulder, looking sorrowful.

"I'm sorry to hear that Esme. I really am." He said in barely a whisper.

"Thank you Carlisle." I said softly, taking deep breaths to keep the emotion at bay. However, the more I thought about my son, the harder it was. So I decided a different tactic. "So what was your story?" I asked him and he sighed.

"Well," he began, taking a deep breath. "I believe it was sometime in the 1640's when I was born, in London. My father was a preacher, and my mother unfortunately passed away when I was born. My father led hunts for witches, werewolves, and vampires.

"I was to be his successor; and at first I was a disappointment. I was not quick to judge, but I did manage to find a coven of _actual_ vampires living in a drain. I led the hunt for the vampires, and we waited outside the drain, until one appeared. He was obviously old, and very weak with hunger. He called out to the other members of his coven, and then he ran. I led the chase. I was twenty-three and very fast for my age.

"When I began to get close, however, the vampire turned around and attacked. As I was at the front of the hunting party, I was bitten, and when the rest of the group caught up, the vampire attacked them, in desperation, I think. Several of the men were killed by the time the vampire ran off, and the rest of the group gave chase. I was left bleeding in the street." He paused to see my reaction. I sat frozen in my seat, looking shocked with his story so far. "Are you alright? Was it too much for you?" he asked me and I shook my head, finally unfreezing myself.

"Sorry, I was so absorbed. I could almost imagine it…" I said and he smiled.

"Well, I'd almost hope you wouldn't try an imagine it; a bit of it still scares me." He admitted and I smiled slightly at him.

"Please continue." I said and he nodded.

"As I said, I was left bleeding in the street. Realizing what I was going to become, and knowing my father would order my execution if he found out, I crawled to a nearby cellar and hid among sacks of rotting potatoes. I don't know how I managed to stay quiet with all the pain coursing through my veins, making me feel like I was on fire. After three days of pain, I felt my heart beat its last and I realized what I'd become. With the knowledge of what I'd become, I hated myself. I viewed myself as a monster, and that was something I didn't want to be. I tried several ways to kill myself. I stayed away from human towns for fear of killing them. But yes, I actually tried to end my life so I couldn't kill anyone. However, that's not easily done." He paused again, noticing my puzzled expression.

"One second; you tried to kill yourself when you realized you were a vampire. How did you try?" I asked him, curiosity becoming the prevailing emotion inside me at the time.

"Well, I jumped from great heights, I tried drowning myself, all the usual ways humans would normally end their life, but none worked. Eventually I resorted to trying to starve myself. People walked past the cellar regularly, so even I'm surprised that I managed to prevent myself killing them. I gradually grew very weak, because I hadn't fed once since becoming a vampire, and one day when a deer walked past the cellar, I lost it. I was so ravenous that I killed the deer, and my strength returned. I also realized then, that I could live as a vampire without being a monster. I decided I would only feed on animals, and I would learn to control my thirst.

"I swam to France and studied medicine by night; however it took over two centuries before I could actually control my thirst enough to live among humans. I traveled Europe because I knew I couldn't stay too long in one place, or people would become suspicious of why I wasn't aging when I should've been. I made it to Italy, settling with a vampire coven there that seemed very civilized; however, I tried to change their view on hunting, and they tried the same thing with me. Neither worked." He said with a small smile and I looked confused.

"What do you mean 'change their views on hunting'?" I asked him.

"They hunted humans, and I think they still do, if they're still there, and they tried to change me so that I would too. However, at the same time I tried to change their view and make them hunt animals, but as I said, to no avail. So, after a few decades there, I left to continue to travel Europe and the world.

"I eventually made it to America, setting up a residence in Alaska. It was in 1918, in Alaska, when I found Edward. I was working at the hospital, and he and his mother were both in there, dying of the Spanish Influenza. I was tending to his mother, when she grabbed my collar and pulled me down so I was about level with her – and I remember this distinctly – she whispered _'look after my son,'_ before her hand fell from my collar, and she passed away. I looked at Edward lying in a nearby bed, and I thought hard about whether or not to turn him. Eventually I decided that I would, and I turned him. However, I still felt the guilt about turning him; but in the end, it was his mother's words, combined with the fact that I felt lonely, which made me decide to turn him and save his life." He finished to see me looking amazed about what he'd said to me.

"Wow, that's a lot." I said and he chuckled.

"Well, I have been alive for over two hundred years. It just seems logical that a lot's happened in my life." He said, shrugging.


End file.
